Reactive compatibilizer precursors for LDPE/PA6 blends. III: ethylene–glycidylmethacrylate copolymer

Abstract

The effectiveness of a commercial ethylene–glycidylmethacrylate copolymer (Lotader GMA AX 8840) as a compatibilizer precursor (CP) for blends of low density polyethylene (LDPE) with polyamide-6 (PA) has been evaluated by an investigation of the thermal properties and the morphology of binary (LDPE/CP and PA/CP) and ternary (LDPE/PA/CP) blends, as well as by solvent fractionation experiments. It has been demonstrated that the epoxy groups of the CP react quite easily, during melt blending, with both the amine and the carboxyl end groups of PA to give CP- g-PA copolymers, which, depending on the relative amounts of PA and CP, may be partially cross-linked. The composition of the graft copolymers has been approximately determined by gravimetric and calorimetric measurements. The compatibilizing efficiency of the CP employed in this work has been found to be comparable to that of the ethylene–acrylic acid copolymers, and lower than that of a maleic anhydride-functionalized polyethylene, which had been used in previous works.